Message for U.S. Citizens: U.S. Embassy Port au Prince

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Message for U.S. Citizens:  U.S. Embassy Port au Prince (January 11, 2022)

Location:  Haiti

Subject:  Purchasing Insurance for Your Time in Haiti

The U.S. government does not provide medical insurance for U.S. citizens overseas.  We do not pay medical bills.  You should always purchase insurance before you travel.  Please review Haiti’s country information pagebefore you travel, and visit our Medical Assistance page for further information.  As a reminder, Haiti has the highest (Level 4) Travel Advisory (“Do Not Travel”) for kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and COVID-19.  The travel advisory for Haiti, available at travel.state.gov, notes that kidnapping is widespread and victims regularly include U.S. citizens.

U.S. citizens should carefully consider the risks of traveling to or remaining in Haiti in light of the current security situation and infrastructure challenges.  Security and infrastructure issues may limit access to essential services in an emergency, including access to banks, money transfers, urgent medical care, internet and telecommunications, and public and private transportation options.  Please see information on What the Department of State Can and Can’t Do in a Crisis.

Before you go, consider your insurance options.  In general, Medicare and Medicaid do not cover medical costs overseas.

Medical Evacuation Insurance

  • Pays for medical care and emergency transportation.
  • If you are traveling to a remote destination or to a place where care is not likely to be up to U.S. standards, consider buying medical evacuation insurance.
  • It can be purchased separately or as part of your travel health insurance policy.

Travel Health Insurance

  • Pays for emergency and/or routine medical services overseas.
  • If you have health insurance in the United States, find out if it covers emergencies that happen abroad.  More information is available on our page about your health abroad.
  • If your health insurance coverage is not adequate, consider buying a short-term supplemental policy.  Look for a policy that will make payments to hospitals directly.

Trip Cancellation Insurance

  • Covers your financial investment in your trip, such as flights, cruises, or train tickets.
  • Carefully examine the policy to make sure that it covers what you need it to cover.
  • May not cover any medical care you need overseas, so you may need a separate travel health insurance policy.
  • Familiarize yourself with your travel and medical coverage before going overseas.
  • Additional information is available on the CDC insurance page.

Considerations When Purchasing Travel Insurance

Travel insurance varies widely, and one should carefully read the terms of any insurance policy to make sure it fits the needs of the traveler.

For example, does it cover:

  • Emergency medical care?
  • Medical transport back to the United States?
  • Travel/accommodation costs?
  • Sufficient financial coverage?
  • The region(s) you are traveling in?
  • Your duration of travel?
  • Your pre-existing conditions?
  • Activities you plan on engaging in?

Also, does it have a 24-hour contact line?

Disclaimer:  The Department of State assumes no responsibility or liability for the professional ability or reputation of, or the quality of services provided, by any provider.

Actions to Take: 

Assistance:

By | 11 January, 2022 | Topics: Alert, Messages for U.S. Citizens

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